A pair of ruby slippers Judy Garland wrote during the filming of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz were auctioned off and fetched $28 million.
Heritage Auctions handled the sale, and with the buyer’s premium, the slippers sold for $32.5 million.
“There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia,” Heritage Auctions EVP Joe Maddalena said. “The breathtaking result reflects just how important movies and movie memorabilia are to our culture and to collectors. It’s been a privilege for all of us at Heritage to be a part of the slippers’ epic journey over the rainbow and off to a new home.”
The slippers are one of four known to have survived since Garland wore them during the filming of the classic. Heritage auctioned off the pair that were famously stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and recovered 13 years later by the FBI. Michael Shaw handed them over for auction and drew over 1,800 bidders worldwide.
Dorothy’s slippers were designed by Gilbert Adrian, MGM’s chief costume designer, and made by Western Costume Company using white silk pumps from the Innes Shoe Company in Los Angeles.
The Wicked Witch’s Hat, part of Shaw’s collection, was also auctioned and sold for $2.93 million in a lengthy bidding war. The hat is the only one to feature inside its brim, “M. Hamilton 4461-164” — referring to, Margaret Hamilton, the former kindergarten teacher who loved children yet became the source of so many nightmares.
Adrian also designed the iconic piece of Hollywood history during his historic tenure at MGM.
